


Burning For You

by Ltleflrt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU mashup, Alternate Universe - Wedding Planner, Dragon Castiel, Fae Eileen, Fluff, M/M, Phoenix Dean, Phoenix Sam, Touch-Starved Dean Winchester, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 22:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18536824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ltleflrt/pseuds/Ltleflrt
Summary: Due to their busy schedules, Sam and Eileen hire a wedding planner.  As Best Man, Dean steps in to help as much as he can.  The fact that Castiel is gorgeous and immune to the dangers of Dean's touch is a bonus.





	Burning For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alessariel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alessariel/gifts).



> Title borrowed from the Blue Öyster Cult song of the same name :)

“This isn’t even my wedding, how did I get roped into this?”

Sam casts Dean an unimpressed look as he opens the door to the meeting room and gestures for Dean to precede him inside.  “There’s more to being the best man than planning the bachelor party, Dean.”

“Since when?” he demands, just to be stubborn.  He doesn’t really have a problem helping out with anything Sam and Eileen need, it’s just weird to him that they’d hire someone to do all the hard work for them, and still need Dean’s input on stuff.

Sam’s answer is lost to him when Dean’s eyes fall on the room’s stupidly sexy occupant.  His feet glue themselves to the floor, and it takes a nudge from Sam to get moving again.

“Hello, Castiel,” Sam says brightly as he crosses the meeting room.  “Thank you for coming here to meet us today.”

“It is my pleasure, of course.” The man–he’s certainly male, if not human–smiles graciously as he accepts Sam’s hand to shake.

Dean’s eyebrows feel like they’re trying to launch themselves into his hair.

Touching a Phoenix is an invitation for third degree burns, but Castiel doesn’t even flinch as his hand is engulfed in Sam’s much larger grip.

“Castiel, this is my brother Dean,” Sam says, gesturing for Dean to come closer.  He casts Dean a look that says  _get over here idiot_ , which works because Dean’s on auto pilot.  “He’s going to be helping out when Eileen and I are unavailable.”

It’s been trained into him since birth not to touch anyone.  His nature as a Phoenix puts most creatures in danger of burns from standing too close, much less initiating skin to skin contact.  So it’s a surreal experience to feel a hand that doesn’t belong to someone of his own species slide against his own.  His fingers brush the edge of a cool scale and it sends a shiver up his arm.

Flame-blue eyes stare up at him, and Dean’s brain experiences a mild short circuit when Castiel smiles at him.  “Hello, Dean.”

“You’re a dragon,” Dean blurts.

When Castiel laughs, his whole body gets in on the motion.  The wings draped over his shoulders flutter, and his tail whips left to right.  The sunlight pouring in through the wall of windows lining one side of the meeting room glints off the iridescent scales along his neck and hairline.  “I believe I am, yes.”

Dean blinks and shakes his head.  Castiel’s voice is like thick smoke, and it’s going straight to his pleasure centers.  He needs to get a grip on himself before he does something really embarrassing.  He pastes on a charming smile.  “Sorry. I’ve never met a dragon before.”

“And I’ve met very few Phoenixes,” Castiel counters with a teasing smile.  “My people do prefer the view from their mountain tops, but I find that sometimes the rest of the world holds much more pleasurable views.”  His eyes trail down Dean’s body, lingering on their clasped hands, before coming back up to lock their gazes together again.

Is that a flirtation?

Dean hopes it’s a flirtation.

Sam ruins the moment by clearing his throat.  “Eileen’s sorry she couldn’t be here today.  She’s needed in Oberon’s court.”

“I understand.”  Castiel turns his attention to Sam, a professional facade coming down over his expression as he releases Dean’s hand.  “She’s a very busy woman, and I’m here to take as much stress and work off her shoulders as possible.”

Dean misses Castiel’s touch as soon as it slips away.  But he’s suddenly looking forward to all his extra Best Man duties.

***

As ambassador to the land of the Fae, Sam is a pretty busy guy, and his engagement to Eileen, a high ranking member of Oberon’s court, means even more rounds of social events.  So Dean ends up doing a lot more of the work on getting the wedding set up than he expected.  And that means spending a lot more time with Castiel than the bride and groom do.  

Which, to be completely fucking honest, is  _awesome_.

Castiel insists on meeting in person often, sometimes multiple times a week.  And it isn’t always to visit bakeries and flower shops.  They spend an equal number of meetings in coffee shops, or cozy restaurants, with Castiel’s binders open on the table between them to keep up the appearance that what they’re doing isn’t dating.

Because it hasn’t been said out loud yet, but Dean’s pretty sure that’s what this is.  Why else would their discussions veer from business to personal so often?  Why else would Castiel touch him whenever he can, like he can’t help himself?

Dean could be way off base.  Maybe dragons are touchy-feely by nature.  It’s completely possible that Castiel is always staring at Dean’s lips because he’s hard of hearing.  Eileen stares at Dean’s mouth all the time, and it certainly isn’t because she wants to jump his bones.  And the intense eye contact when Dean’s not speaking?  Well that could just be Dean projecting.  Eye contact is normal, right?  It’s not all eye fucking.

It certainly feels like eye-fucking though.

He could ask.  _Hey, Cas.  Is this thing between us all in my head?_   Maybe write him a note, and ask him to check yes or no if he likes Dean the way Dean likes him.

Or he can continue to be chicken shit about it, and just bask in Castiel’s presence.  Treasure every look, every gentle slide of Castiel’s fingers against his hand or his arm.  Soak in the cooling relief of his presence, because Castiel probably doesn’t understand the concept of Personal Space, and isn’t standing shoulder to shoulder with Dean in the print shop because he craves that contact as well.

Over the months they gravitate closer and closer.

Dean never asks why.

***

Never in his life has Dean seen a wedding so beautiful.  

Sam and Eileen stand together under an arch of orange and yellow irises.  Bonfires flank the raised dais, and torches line the aisles.  Light and shadow from all the flames dance across Eileen’s flowing white dress, making her appear to be bathed in her own fire.  Both the bride and groom are displaying their wings proudly, Eileen’s sheer and rainbow shimmery, Sam’s fiery feathers arched over his shoulders.  Only clever spell work keep them from sparking fire in his clothing and the nearby flowers.  And Eileen’s fairy blood protects her from Sam’s burning touch.

The priestess bonds them together with a rope of pure gold wrapped loosely around their clasped hands.  She repeats the sacred ritual in three languages, including sign.  And when she announces them Bound, the torches and the bonfires roar higher, adding more noise to the cheering of the gathered crowd.  

Petals from orange roses are tossed over the wedded couple’s heads as they turn to their guests, and raise their tied hands up high to display them to everyone present.  

Dean’s vision blurs, maybe from tears, maybe from the heat haze of so much open flame.

After the ceremony it’s hours before Dean gets a moment to himself.  He sneaks away as soon as he finishes his Best Man speech, to a quiet corner of the palace gardens.  The marble bench he finds is cool, and the gentle breeze rustling the surrounding bushes is refreshing on his cheeks.  Even as a creature of fire, it feels good to get away from the hot press of bodies packed into one place.  

And out here, he doesn’t have to pull himself in tight to prevent brushing too close to someone who might suffer injury on contact with his skin.  He lets his head fall back on his shoulders and looks up into the starry sky, smiling at the unfamiliar constellations of the Fae realm.  With a sigh and a slight relaxation of his concentration, he lets his wings slip free.

He can’t spread them, for fear of setting the garden on fire, but having them out in the open is relief enough.

“Lovely.”

Dean’s wings flinch, but before he can slip them away, Castiel stops him with a touch to his shoulder.

“No, don’t,” Castiel murmurs.  “Your flame poses no danger to me.”

Dean looks up at the dragon, and thinks the reflected gleam of his wings in Castiel’s eyes is far more beautiful than the stars.  “Uh thanks.  They were getting a little cramped.”

Castiel flares his own wings slightly.  “I can imagine how uncomfortable that gets.”

Of course he does.  As a dragon, Castiel is squeezing his whole body into a smaller form, not just hiding his wings.  

“Yeah it’s not the greatest.” Dean slides over on the bench to give Castiel space.  “Join me?”

His heart thumps almost painfully behind his ribs when Castiel accepts his invitation and settles on the stone seat.  Even though Castiel is safe, Dean still pulls his wings away out of habit.

Castiel notices the gesture and smiles gently.  He lifts a hand, but hesitates.  “May I?”

Among his own kind, touching wings is an intimate gesture.  Most people of other species would start to feel the burn before even getting close enough.  Phoenixes aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, and Dean’s a little too rough around the edges to attract a mate from the Fae, so it’s been many years since he’s felt another’s touch in his feathers.

The urge to allow it is overwhelming.  Only a lifetime of discipline keeps him from shoving his wing right into Castiel’s waiting hand.  But his feathers ruffle up with anticipation anyway.  

Unable to speak around his heart in his throat, Dean nods.

Castiel’s fingers sink into Dean’s flaming feathers, and they both let out a sigh.  Dean in utter satisfaction, and Castiel in what looks like wonder.

The yellow flames turn the iridescent blue scales lining the back of Castiel’s hand a deep metallic green.  He strokes through the feathers, threading them between his fingers, and Dean can’t help pressing his into the touch.

“Lovely,” Castiel says again, low and soft, smoke rising from embers.

Dean loses track of time as Castiel gently grooms the areas he can reach.  His eyes nearly slip closed in pleasure, but he can’t look away from the awe gracing Castiel’s features, so he watches the dragon through drooping lids.

“You know,” Castiel says after a long silence broken only by the soft crackle of Dean’s flames.  “Now that my work for your brother and new sister is completed, I’ll be visiting other realms for new contracts.”

Dean’s feathers dim with his disappointment.  “So, I guess this is probably goodbye then?”

Castiel’s eyes flit from Dean’s wing, to lock on Dean’s gaze.  “I was hoping that we could continue our relationship without the barrier of professionalism.  If you don’t mind that I have to travel a lot for work.”

It takes everything Dean has not to burst into a pillar of flame.  He manages to keep his excitement contained to a grin, and maybe a little extra heat under his skin.  His clothes stay intact, even if he does catch a whiff of hot wool.  Thank the gods for whoever invented spells for fireproofing.  “I don’t mind at all, Cas.” He flutters his wings.  “It’s not like I don’t have means of traveling to see you.”

Castiel’s smile is brighter than a flame.  “I’m very happy to hear that.”

“Can I kiss you, Cas?” Dean blurts.

He receives his answer as a soft press of lips against his own.  The kiss is gentle, almost chaste, but it’s more than Dean usually dares to hope for.  

Dean doesn’t know what his face is doing when Castiel pulls back, but it’s probably something goofy and love-struck.  “That was awesome.”

“Yes,” Castiel agrees.

And then they kiss again.  And again.  They kiss and touch and murmur endearments to each other under the rotating stars, until edge of the sky begins to fade from black to blue and the stars blink out of view.


End file.
